6 Indie Titles We’re Excited To See At PAX Australia

With PAX Australia 2018 right around the corner, Aussie gamers are soon to be flooded with heaps of great new content. From Aussie indies to the best of the rest, we take a look at some of the most eye-catching games featured at PAX, and what we’re looking forward to most.

Necrobarista, Route 59

Necrobarista is a fantasy-themed visual novel based in Melbourne, and smashes the strange world of anime together with classic Australianism. Taking place in a magical Melbourne cafe, the worlds of the living and the dead meet in this stunning-looking title. With a distinct visual style and gorgeous, cinematic storytelling, Necrobarista looks like an absolute treat. – Leah

Ashen, Aurora44

Creating an open-world action RPG set in a rich fantasy universe would be a tall order for the most well-heeled AAA development powerhouse. I can’t imagine the courage it would take to tackle the genre as an indie. Ashen is an action RPG developed by New Zealand developer Aurora66 Limited. It combines a painterly art style with striking, position-heavy combat and a great many of the tropes fans of the genre know and love. Ashen looks like a huge undertaking, and that it’s coming from a little dev with big ideas makes it all the sweeter. Go get em, guys. – David

Mars Underground, Moloch Media

Mars Underground is a 16-bit apocalyptic adventure where you play as Mars on his first day at a new school. However, every day is Mars’ first day at school as every night the world ends, and he is forced to wake up the next day and live it all over again. With a unique time loop that promises a variety of branching storylines and an open world sandbox to explore, Mars Underground takes Groundhog Day to a whole new level. – Matt

Table of Tales: The Crooked Crown, Tin Man Games

Table of Tales: The Crooked Crown is a PSVR exclusive title developed by Tin Man Games, and uses tactical, turn-based strategy to emulate classic card-based gameplay. Essentially, Table of Tales is a tabletop adventure game that uses the power of the PSVR to bring the adventures of the Scoundrels to life. As a huge fan of classic tabletop gaming and its potential in VR, this tale looks like a true gem. – Leah

Spin Rhythm, Super Entertainment

Who said rhythm-based games were dead? Spin Rhythm looks to shake the genre up once again with a fast paced, fluid and colourful music adventure. Complete with a nifty analogue control mechanic that sees you spinning a wheel of coloured notes, Spin Rhythm also aims to pack in an extensive list of electronic music from artists such as Hyper Potions, Subtact and Nitro Fun. As a huge fan of these types of games, I can’t wait to get my hands on this. – Matt

Double Shot, Aberrant Realities

How can I resist a game with a name like Double Shot? A VR shooter set in the neon-tinted 1980’s bar scene of Miami, developer Aberrant Realities have found a way to combine the heady combat experience of both Superhot with the stress-inducing food preparation of Cooking Mama into a single booze-soaked package. Dispatching incoming goons with one hand while doing my best to mix and consume a complicated cocktail with the other was the kind of thing I didn’t know I wanted until someone decided to make it. If you can stomach VR, take the time to try this one — you won’t regret it. – David

What games are you hoping to see at PAX Australia? Tell us about it on Twitter @theAUreview!

Leah Williams is a freelance writer whose work has been featured across The AU Review, IGN, Green Man Gaming and more. Her favourite game of all time is The Urbz: Sims in the City on Nintendo DS. Ask her about it @legenette on Twitter.